Cigar-banding machine.



Patented Mayl6, 1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. H. SKITT. CIGAR BANDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED Iov. 25. 1912.

msww,

ATTORNEY.

mIIII 'J. H. SKITT.

CIGAR BANDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25. 1912.

Patented May 16, 1916.

6 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES:

J. H. SKITT.

CIGAR BANDINQ MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1912.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

'W/ T IVESSES ATTORNEY.

I. H. SKITT.

CIGAR BANDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 25. 1912.

J. H. SKITT. CIGAR BANDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV- 25,1912.

1 9 1]. 83,2Q9. Patented May 16, 1916.

6 SHEETSSHEET 5.

ATTORNEY.

J. H. SKITT.

CIGAR BANDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1912.

Patented May 16, 1916.

6 SHEETSSHEET 6.

1%. M g /wa am arr snaps.

JAMES H. SKITT, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT 1?. SMITH AND GEORGE E. DRUM, COPAR'INERS TRADING UNDER THE FIRM-NAME OF SMITH, DRUM & COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

OIGAR-BANDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 16, 11916.

Application filed November 25, 1912. Serial No. 733,257.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. SKITT, a subject of the King of England, residing at Philadelphia, in'the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigar-Banding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cigar banding machines and especially that type wherein the cigars are removed from a box in which they have been packed, then banded by the machine of the invention and returned to the original or a similar box in the same spaced relation to each other as they occupied in the box in which they were originally packed. This enables the manufacturer to ship one brand of goods to various sources, using different style bands on the same brand of cigars, which is very desirable from a trade standpoint, and obviates the necessity of the manufacturer carrying a large stock of otherwise identical goods. In the packing of cigars,.the art of packing consists of proper selection ofcolors and shades, this selection is interferedwith by the presence of a band on the cigar due to the extreme contrast in colors between the band and cigar. It is also impossible to obtain a perfect alinement of bands when cigars are banded before packing, because of by'the packer and it has been found that their tendency to shift while being handled the economy of banding in bulk has'been more than lost by reason of the extra care required at the time of packing,- hence,the advantages of this machine as it readily lends itself to existing manufacturing conditions.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view, certain portionsof the casing being broken away so as to more clearly show the working parts, Fig. 2 is asectional view as on the line-33 of Fig. 2, the various elements being indicated in their second position by dot and dash lines, Fig.3 is a front elevation with por- 'I t ions of the casing broken away, Fig. 4 is a "section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; the vari- Fig. 5, and Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views of the operating cams for the wrapping and sealing mechanisms.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a table provided with a depressed casing 2 forming apit in the table top for the reception of the machine constituting the invention and in Fig. 1 indicated by the numeral 3. The main shaft 4 of the machine is provided with a crank arm 5 which is connected by means of a link 6 with a bell-crank lever 7, the latter being pivotally mounted in a bracket extension 8 of the casing 2. To the other arm of the lever 7 is attached a connecting rod 9 which pivotally connects with a foot pedal 10. To the outer face of the machine frame or casing 3 are attached adjustable stops 11 and 12 which limit the throw of the crank arm 5 and consequently the movement of the main shaft 4 in either direction of its rocking movement.

The main shaft 4 as particularly seen in Fig. 2, is .journaled on bearing 14. in one end wall 15 and the opposite end of the shaft is j ournaled in the opposite end wall 16 of the casing 3. Between the end walls 15 and 16 are partitions 17 and 18'through which the shaft 4 passes. The partition 17 1 extends above the main portion of the frame 3 and' to its-upper endis secured the glue or-moisture containing reservoir 20, the latter being provided with a depending flange 21, which as seen in Fig. 5, is adjustably bolted by means 22 to the said partition 17: The other partition 18, which is between the first pa'rtition 17 and the end wall 16 of the casing 3, extends parallel with the said first'partition, but does not extend above the main portion of the casing 3. Between the partitions 17 and 18 (see Figs. 2 and 5) a band feed table 24 is arranged for vertical recipgrocation, being guided by the projecting guides 25 (see Fig. 8) sliding in grooves 26 indicated by dotted lines 26 in Fig. 4. Upon this table is arranged a plate 24 which as seen in Fig. 8 is adjustable lengthwise by means of the screws 24 and slots 24 Extending upwardly from the plate 24 are pins 24 between which is arranged the stack or pile of bands, (shown in Fig. 4.) Between the partitions 17 and 18 and on a shaft 27 is pivoted centrally of its length a feed lever 28, its forward end being slotted at 28 to slidingly receive a cross pin 29 of the feed table, and its opposite end being subject to the action of the coil spring 30 connected thereto whereby at the designated time the spring will cause the table 24 to raise to feed the bands to the other mechanisms to be described. The lever 28 is provided with a downwardly extending crank arm 28 the lower end of which has a roller 28 which projects through a slot 17 in the partition 17 and into the path of the three arm cam 31 which is loosely mounted on the main shaft 4 and forms a part of the cam 32, the latter serving to actuate the cigar holder as will be described and also being loose on the main shaft 4. As the main shaft 4- rotates in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 5, the cam trip arms 31 will successively engage the crank arm 28 and their cam faces 31 will move said arm to the position in full lines in Fig. 5 and as the arms 31 complete each step by step movement they come to rest with the roller 28 of said crank arm 28 bearing against the ends 31 of said cam trip arms.

As stated, the cams 31 and 32 are unitary and by means of a sleeve 33 are connected with a ratchet disk 34, all of these parts eing loose on the main shaft. Adjacent the said ratchet disk is a second ratchet wheel 35 integrally formed with a gear 36 and both being loose on the main shaft 4.

Fixed to the main shaft 4 is an arm 37' which is provided with opposite spring pressed pawls 34 and 35 which respectively engage with the ratchet disks 34 and 35 be tween which the arm 37 operates. The teeth of theratchet disk 34 are opposite to those of the ratchet disk 35, and as the arm 37 is fixed to the main shaft 4, movement of v the shaft in one direction causes the pawl.

34 to turn the ratchet disk 34 in one direction and movement of the shaft in the other direction causes the pawl 35 to turn the ratchet disk 35 in a direction opposite to that in which the other disk 34 was turned. While one disk is being moved, by its pawl, the other pawl is riding back over the other disk to the next tooth thereof. Any means may be employed to hold the ratchet disk 35 and gear 36 against backward movement, while the disk 34 is held from such movement by the mechanism which cooperates with the said cam 32.

. swinging movement of the lever 39 3, is a semi-circular grooved portion 38 in.

which slides a semi-tubular cigar support 39. Several of these semi-tubular supports may be nested as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6 to accommodate cigars of different diameters. Parallel with the cigar holder is a guide rod 40 on which is an adjustable gage 41 having a circular or disk-shaped end located in the channel of the cigar holder and against which the ends of the cigars engage so that the bands will be uniformly applied to all the cigars banded. The said portion 38 is slotted at 38 and through this slot extends a rib 39 of the holder 39, there being a link 39" pivotally connected thereto and to the upper end of a lever 39 the latter being pivoted at its lower end to a lug 39 of the frame 3. This arm 39 is provided with a stud 39 which enters cam notches 32*. One wall of the notches is parallel with the axis of the cam member 32, but the other wall 32 is at an angle thereto so as to cause against the action of the spring 39 As the cam 32 rotates, the stud 39 is pulled by the spring 39 into one of the notches 32 and as the cam 32 continues its movement, the cam face 32 forces the stud out of the notch and the said stud then rides along the face 32 of the cam 32 until the next notch is encountered when the same operation is repeated. The mechanism just described causes endwise movement of the cigar holder 39 so that the right hand thereof in Fig. 2 in one position is even with the partition '17, and in another position is adjacent the partition 18 and overlying the band feed table 24, the latter position being the one illustrated in said Fig. 2.

The reservoir 20 aforementioned is equipped with a cover 20, a hopper spout 20 and vertical bore 20 in which latter vertically reeiprocates a plunger or valve 20. The valve Seats in the bottom of the spout and has a. cleaning pin 20 which enters and clears the opening in the spout. It will be clear that as the valve or plunger 20 rises and falls, it will act to an extent, as

a piston to forcibly eject a small quantity of the liquid contained in the reservoir. The means for operating the valve or plunger consists of a rod 40 (Fig. 6) parallel with the valve or plunger and sliding in a recess in the reservoir. To this rod 40 is secured a pin 40 which operates in a slot and to which rod is connected a connecting rod 40, the lower end of the latter being in turn connected with one end of a horizontal lever 40 pivoted at its rear end to the frame 3 at 40 and having a cam projection 40 mid-way of its length for engagement with cam projections 41 of the unit composed of the said cams 31 and 32. A

spring 42 pulls downwardly on the arm 40* whereby the valve or plunger 39 will be lso driven to its seat with a quick motion immediately upon tripping of the cam projections 40 and 41.

The mechanism thus far described relates to the band feeding, band moistening and gumming, and cigar holding, mechanisms, and to avoid confusion the full operation thereof will now be recited. It must be kept in mind that these mechanisms are only affected by the movement of the main shaft inv one direction, that is, as caused by the movement of the crank arm 5 in Fig. 1 from the dotted to the full line position. The positions of the parts initially are as follows: The roller 28 is bearing against one of the ends 31 of one of the camarms 31, the band feeding table is fully depressed, the cigar holding trough 39 has its end overlying the said band feeding table 24, the stud 39" is within one of the notches 32 of the cam 32, the cam projections 40 and 41 about to be engaged, and the pawl 34 engaged with a tooth of the ratchet disk 34. As the movement of the shaft 4 begins, the stud 39 is forced out of the notch 32 by the cam face 32 and the cigar holder withdrawn from over the band feeding table where it was left from the preceding banding operation. Simultaneously with this movement, the cam projections 40 and 41 trip thereby raising and lowering the valve or plunger 39 to expel a small quantity of the liquid from the reservoir so that the liquid will hang in a small drop from the lower face of the reservoir spout. As the movement of the shaft 4 proceeds, the roller 28 rides off the end 31" of the arm 31 and the spring 30 pulling down upon the lever 28 causes the forward end thereof to elevate the band feeding table 24 so that the end of the uppermost band of the pack carried thereby will strike against the lower end of the reservoir spout and cause the said drop of the liquid to be splashed or spread eflectively over that end of the said ci ar band. As the main shaft 4 and the paw andratchet mechanism continue the movement of the cam wheel 32, the stud 39 rides along the face 32 of said cam, meanwhile the next cam arm 31 presses its cam face 31 against the roller 28 of the table feed lever 28 and thereby actuates said lever to depress the band feed, table 24 to its fullest extent. The said roller 28 then rides up onto the outer end 31 of said cam arm 31, holding the feed table 24 depressed, and while the roller is in this position, the stud 39 drops into the next notch of the cam 32 causing the cigar support 39 to again'be projected over the feed table 24. At this point, the crank arm 5 (Fig. 1) encounters the stop 11 and motion of the shaft in the stated direction is arrested, the

parts being in, the positions seen in the drawings. Reverting to the description of the band feed table 24, after the same has moved upwardly to gum or moisten the band, the table then moves downwardly as stated, but the uppermost band of the pack adheres to the lower face of the reservoir spout as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, (upper position,) and is separated from the balance of the lowered pack. Vhile held by the gum, the band extends substantially horizontally in a straight line and in a higher plane than the cigar support, so that when the latter is finally projected to overlie the feed table 24, it moves beneath the cigar band so held without displacing the same. The operator now places a cigar in the holder 39, the gage 41 serving to properly space the same, and as the cigar the holder 39 beneath the cigar and its ends will project upwardly, but the gummed end will still adhere to the reservoir spout. The main shaft 4 is then ready for its reverse movement.

Referring to the mechanism which is affected by the reverse movement of the main shaft, 50 indicates a second shaft which is journaled in the end wall 15 of the casing and in the partition 18, and extends parallel with the main shaft 4, being provided with a pinion keyed thereto and designated'by numeral 50'. This pinion 50 meshes with the larger gear 36. At the operating end of the machine, on the shaft 50 are keyed three cams 51, 52, and 53. The cam 51 is circular in form and eccentrically arranged on the shaft 50 directly adjacent the partition 18. The cam 53 is foot shaped and secured to the extreme end of the shaft 50. This cam 53 has a toe 53 and heel 53", the former at a greater distance from the axls of shaft 50 than the latter. On the opposite .side of the shaft, there is a concentric por- 'tion 53 between which and the heel 53" is a depression 53 which is the least distance of all the parts of the cam 53 from the axis of the shaft 50 and for a purpose to be stated. Intermediate the cams 51 and 53is located the said cam 52, which is heart shaped and is eccentrically arranged on the shaft, with its depression 52 adjacent the shaft 50, or, in other words, on the opposite side of the shaft from the portion of the cam of greatest dimension. To the outer face of the partition 18 is pivoted a wrapping arm 55 centrally of its length, said arm having pivoted thereto a wrapping finger 55 on a journaled pin'55 To this pin is adjustably secured a crank arm 55 under the tension of a spring 55 and adapted to be limited in, its movement by a stop 55-.

This finger 55 is free to yield upwardly and outwardly in the wrapping operation. The lower end of the said arm is provided with a roller 55 which rolls over the cam surface of the heart shaped cam 52 to swing the wrapping arm 55. The arm 55 is held in engagement at all times with the cam 52 by means of a spring 55. Pivoted to the partition at 56 is a bell-crank wrapping arm 56 having a roller 56 on one end which bears against the eccentric shaped cam 51, said arm 56 also being under the tension of the spring 55" to cause its roller 56 at all times to bear against the said cam 51. The upper branch of the arm 56 carries a wrapping finger 56, in all respects the same as the wrapping finger 55 of the other wrapping arm, and this finger 56 is under tension of spring 56 secured to the other or lower branch of the lever 56. In its retracted position under the action of the spring 55", the finger portion of the arm 56 is permitted to move to its limit as the partition 18 is cut out at 18 to permit this.

When the wrapping arms 55 and 56 are retracted, their fingers 55 and 56 respectively are out of the path of the upward travel of the band feeding table 24.

Journaled on the main shaft 4:, is a sealing arm 57. the lower end of which has a roller 57 which engages the foot-shaped cam This arm is under tension of the spring 57 and to its upper end is centrally pivoted at 57, a sealing finger 58 which is under the downward tension of spring 58. The forward end of this finger has a sealing roller 58 to act in conjunction with the wrapping fingers to finish the operation of wrapping. I

The other end of the finger 58 is adapted to be held and released by a pivoted detent 59, the nose of which is normally held toward the finger 58 by spring 59. The said nose portion is indented at 59, so that in one position, the sealing finger will engage in said indentation to assume the dotted position of Fig. 7, and when not so engaged it will assume the full line position of said view. The cigar holder 39 at its free end is provided with a lateral platform extension 39, seen in Figs. 2' and 4, and over which the roller rides. To the partition 17 is secured a bracket 60 provided with an adjustable stop screw 60 against which the pawl 59 strikes to cause the rear end of the sealing finger 58 to jump out ofthe indentation 59 thereof so that the spring 58will pull the roller end of the sealin finger down to the full line position of Fig. 7. The pawl 59 does not normally contact with the screw 60, only when the roller 57 enters the depression 53 in the foot-shaped cam 53.

The operation of the wrapping mechanism which consumes the said reverse movement of the shaft (4) and operating parts, is as follows: The cam 52 acts on the wrapping arm 55 before the other Wrapping arm 56 highest point.

is affected by its cam 51, and the wrapping finger 55 terminates its movement toward the cigar in the holder before the finger 56 completes its movement. At the time the nger 55 completes its movement and is in the dotted line position of Fig. 3, the roller 5? falls into the indentation 53 of its cam 53, and the arm 57 springs to the dotted line position of Fig. 3 and its pawl 59 striking the set screw 60 causes the sealing finger to be released by the pawl so that the sealing finger assumes the dotted line position of Fig. 3 which is the full line position of Fig. 7. Continued movement of the shafts 4 and 50 causes the wrapping finger 56 to continue its advance, until the termination of the other wrapping finger begins its retreat and the sealing roller 58 its advance due to the engagement of the heel portion 53 of the cam 53 with the roller 57. After the finger 56 reaches its final position over the cigar, the other finger continues its retreat to its remotest position from the cigar, and while at rest above the cigar e. finger 56), the sealing roller due to the action of the cam 53 continues its advance movement rolling down over the upper face of the finger onto the cigar. lhe function of these movements, is that when the wrapping finger advances, the ends of the cigar band are projecting upwardly on both sides of the cigar in the holder, and the finger 55 first engages beneath the unguinmed end of the band and folds it about the cigar and thereafter, the other finger 56 engages the gummed end of the band, which is still adhering to the discharge portion of the reservoir spout, and folds the same around the cigar and over the ungummed end of the band. It will be observed that the adherence of the end of the band to the said spout holds that end back until the portions thereof more closely adjacent the cigar holder are folded over by the finger 56', after which. the said adhering end of the band is pulled from beneath the reservoir spout and with a snapping mot-ion flies over in the direction of the travel of the said finger 56. This insures that the gummed end of the band will be rubbed around the cigar from'the lowest point gradually to the Following directly in the path of the finger 56 comes the sealing roller which is unlocked from the pawl 59 and in its lowered position. As this roller moves downwardly onto the cigar, it presses the extreme gummed end of the band firmly down upon the ungummed end and while in this position, the finger 56 begins its retreat during which, the roller 58 completes its advance movement, completing the wrapping and sealing steps. In the last stage of the advance of the sealing roller 58, it rolls over the lateral platform extension 39 of the cigar holder which raises the said roller and causes the other end of the sealing finger to engage the notch 59' of the pawl 59. Immediately thereafter, the roller 57 of sealing arm 57 rides over' the toe 53 of the cam 53 and the spring 57 quickly draws the sealing arm 57 back to the full line posi tion of Fig. 3. During this return movement of the sealing arm, the sealing finger 58 being locked with its roller in its elevated position, said sealing roller will swing clear of the cigar without displacing the same fromthe holder 'or disturbing the band in any way. The parts are now in the position of Fig. 3 and ready for the next operating of the band feeding operation and then repetition .of 'the operation just described; also in this position, the operating crank arm 5- of Fig. 1 is engaged with the other stop 12 and further movement of the shaft in the stated direction arrested. The banded cigar is removed, and the operating mechanism reversed for the next operating upon another cigar.

It will be understood that the cigar bands inserted in the feed table may be previously gummed, in which case water will be contained in the reservoir to moisten the gum,

or on the other hand, glue or other adhesive may be fed from the reservoir onto ungummed bands, in either of which cases, the result is the same so far as the mechanism involved is concerned.

Other articles than cigars may be banded, it being immaterial whether they are bottles, cans or other articles, as the machine may be made in various sizesto suit the articles to be banded.

The removable band holders may vary according to the shapes of the various styles of bands that may be a plied, and as these holders are removable rom the band feeding table, the change may be 'quickly made.

The wrapping fingers and 56 do not of-themselves complete the banding opera-v tion, but only fold the ends of the band around the cigar, with the extreme free end portion of the band not stuck down. The sealing roller 58 following in the path of the wrapping finger 56 rolls this band end down flat in the same manner one rubs his fingers over the flap of an envelop after the same has been initially closed.

. It will be noted that when the stud 39" of the cigar supporting member is within the cam notch 32*, the support 39 may be pushed back from its advanced position manually; this sometimes being necessary when the operator desires to attend to the bands on the table 24 while the latter is fully depressed and the cigar support advanced to a position thereover. It will also be observed that" gage 41 is capable of be ing swung vertically so that it may be properly adjusted with respect to any one of,

the nested elements of the support.

Having fully described the invention,

' what is claimed as new, is

l. In a cigar banding machine, band moistening or gumming" means, means for carrying a band to and pressing the band against the fiI'Sb means to cause the band to adhere thereto, a cigar support independ- I ently movable between the adhering band and the carrying means, and means for Wrapping the band around a cigar in the support. I

2. In a cigar banding machine, band moistening or gumming means, means for carrying a band to and pressing the band second means to cause the band to adhere thereto, and means for independently moving the cigar support into and out of the path of the band carrying means.

4:. In a cigar banding machine, a cigar support, means for folding the band around the cigar in the holder,-sealing means movable forwardly from a normal position across the cigar holder and backwardly to its normal position, and means whereby the sealing means will engage the band only on its forward movement.

5. In a cigar banding machine, a cigar support, means for folding the band around the cigar in the holder, sealing means movable forwardly from a normal position across the cigar holder and backwardly to its normal position, said sealing means he ingm a position on its forward movement to engage the band, and being movable to engage the cigar support and moved thereby into a locked position to clear the band on its returnmovement, and means for locking the sealing means'in the latter position.

n a cigar bandingv machine, a cigar support, means for, folding the band across 'the c1gar in the holder, sealing means movable forwardly from a normal position across the cigar holder and backwardly to its normal position, said sealing means being in a position on its forward movement to engage the band, and being movable to engage the cigar support and moved thereby into a locked position to'clear the band on its return movement, and means for locking the sealing means in the latter position, and means for releasing the sealing means from its locked position prior to its next sealing operation. v

7. In a cigar banding machine, a cigar support, means for folding the band around the cigar, sealing means movable from and to a normal position and adapted to seal the ends of the band together on its advance stroke and comprising a cam operated member and a sealing member movable thereon, said sealing member adapted to engage the cigar support and be moved thereby to an inoperative position, and means for locking the sealing member in inoperative position during its return stroke.

8. In a cigar banding machine, a cigar support, means for folding the band around the cigar, sealing means movable from and to a normal position, and adapted to seal the ends of the band together on its advance stroke and comprising a swinging member and a, sealing member pivotally mounted thereon, said sealing member adapted to engage the cigar support and be swung thereby to an inoperative position, and means for locking the sealing member in inoperative position during its return stroke.

9. In a cigar banding machine, a cigar support, means for folding the band around the cigar, sealing means movable from and to a normal position and adapted to seal the ends of the band together on its advance stroke and comprising a pivoted lever and a sealing finger pivoted thereto, said finger adapted to engage the cigar support and be swung thereby to an inoperative position,

means for locking the finger in inoperative position during its return stroke, and means for unlocking said member prior to lts next sealing engagement with the band.

10. In a cigar banding machine, a cigar support, means for folding the band around the cigar, sealing means movable from and to a normal position and adapted to seal the ends of the band together on its advance stroke and comprising a cam operated lever pivoted between its ends and a sealing finger pivoted between its ends thereon, a lock ng pawl for locking said finger in inoperative position, said finger adapted to engage the cigar support and beingrmoved thereby to inoperative position prior to its return stroke, and means for unlocking the pawl prior to the next sealing'engagement of the finger with the band.

11. In a cigar banding machine, a cigar support, means for folding the band around the cigar, sealing means movable from and to a normal position and adapted to seal the ends of the band together on its advance stroke, means adapted to be engaged by the sealing means to move the latter to inoperative position prior to its return stroke, and means for locking the sealing member in inoperative position.v

12. In a cigar banding machine, a cigar support, means for folding the band around the cigar, sealing means movable from and to a normal position and adapted to seal the ends of the band together on its forward stroke and comprising a pivoted sealing member and a sealing finger pivoted thereto, means for moving the sealing finger to inoperative position prior to its backward stroke, a pawl for locking the finger in inoperative position, and a stop adapted to be engaged by the pawl to release the finger and permit the same to move to its operative position.

13. In a cigar banding machine, a cigar support, means for folding the band around the cigar, sealing means movable from and to a normal position and adapted to seal the ends of the band together on its advance stroke, a cam shaped to advance the sealing means and to retract the same to two distinct positions, means adapted to be engaged by the sealing means to move the latter to inoperative position for its return stroke, means for locking the sealing means in inoperative position. and means whereby the sealing means is unlocked when -in' one of its retracted positions.

14. In a cigar banding machine, band moistening or gumming means, means for carrying a band to and causing the same to adhere to the moistening or gummingmcans, means for folding the band around the cigar, and means independent thereof for sealing the ends of the band together, said sealing means being movable out of the path of the second means on the advance thereof and into its path for sealing after retraction thereof.

15. In a cigar banding machine, band moistening or gumming means, means for carrying a band to and causing the same to adhere to the moistening or gumming means, means for folding the band around the cigar, and means independent thereof for sealing the ends of the band together, said folding and sealing means being movable out of the path of the second means on the advance thereof and into its path for respectively folding and sealing after retraction thereof.

16. In a cigar banding machine, band moistening or gumming means, means for carrying a band to and causing the same to adhere to the moistening or gumming means, band wrapping means, means for supporting the digar while it isbeing banded, said supporting means being movable out of the path of the second means onthe advance thereof and into its path for supporting the cigar after retraction thereof.

17. In a cigar banding machine, band moistening or gummingmeans, means for carrying a band to and causing the same to adhere to the moistening or gumming means, means for folding the band around the cigar, means for sealing the ends of the band together, and means for supporting the cigar while being banded, said folding, sealing and supporting means being movable out of the path of the second means on the advance thereof. 1

18. In a cigar banding machine, the combination with band wrapping means, of band moistening or gumming means, means for carrying a band to and causing the same to adhere to the moistening or gumming means, a slidably mounted cigar support in a plane beneath the moistening or gumming means and adapted to be moved to a position in the path traveled by the said third means and beneath the adhering band.

19. In a cigar banding machine, band moistening or gumming means, means for carrying a band to and pressing the same against the first means to cause the band to adhere thereto, a cigar support adapted to be advanced between the adhering band and the carrying means, and means for Wrap ping the band around a cigar in the support, said support being capable of being retracted and so held by the hand of the operator.

20. In a cigar banding machine, band moistening or gumming means, means for carrying a band to and pressing the same against the first means to cause the band to adhere thereto, a cigar support, means for projecting the support between the adhering band and the carrying means, said means be ing yieldable to permit manual retraction of the support.

21. In a cigar banding machine, band moistening or gumming means, means for carrying a band to and pressing the same against the first means to cause the band to adhere thereto, a cigar support, means for projecting the support between the adhering band and carrying means, said means being yieldable to permit manual retraction ofthe support, and cam means for retracting the support.

22. In a cigar banding machine, band moistening or gumming means, means for causing a cigar band to adhere thereto, a cigar support arranged at right angles to the position occupied by the adhering band, and means for projecting the support between the adhering band and the second means.

23. In a cigar banding machine, ban

moistening or gumming means, means for causing a cigar band to adhere thereto, a cigar support movable into operative position in the path traveled by the second means, a rotatable member engaged with a portion of the support to hold the same in inoperative or retracted position during the movement of the second means, and said rotatable member having a cam notch, means for advancing the cigar support to opera:

tive position when said portion of the support encounters the said cam notch, the cam portion of said notch serving to retract the support to inoperative position.

24. In a cigar banding machine, band moistening or gumming means, means for causing a cigar band to adhere thereto, a cigar support movable into operative position in the path traveled by the second means, a rotatable member engaged with a portion of the support to hold the same in inoperative or retracted position during movement of the second means, and said rotatable member having a cam notch, yielding means for advancing the cigar support to operative position when said portion of the support encounters the said cam notch, the cam portion of said notch serving to retract the support to inoperative position.

25. In combination with wrapping means, and band feeding means movable into and out of operative relation therewith, of a cigar support movable into and out of the path of the second means, and a gage free of the cigar support and juxtaposed thereto.

26. In combination with wrapping means,

and band feeding means movable into and out of operative relation therewith, of a cigar support movable into and out of the path of the second means, a gage movable toward and from the wrapping means and arranged ad acent the cigar support.

27. In a cigar banding machine, band folding means, band sealing means, band feeding means, and a cigar support movable into and out of operative relation with the said other means, an operating member, and means actuated by the latter whereby the support and feeding means are operated by the movement of the operating member in one direction, and the other said means operated when the operating member is moved in the opposite direction.

28. In a cigar banding machine, band folding means, band sealing means, .moisture or gum supplying means, band feeding means, cigar supporting means movable into and out of operative relation with the said other means, an operating member, said supporting means, feeding means, and moisture or gum supplying means being operated by movement of the operating member in one direction and the other of said means operated when the operating member is moved in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES H. SKITT.

VVitness'es:

EDNA A. MAGFARLAND, MARGARET CRAIG. 

